UK PM Keir Starmer arrives in Mumbai on two-day visit: What's on agenda?

UK PM Keir Starmer began his first visit to India on Wednesday. He will discuss trade, technology, defence and investment with PM Narendra Modi to strengthen the India-UK strategic partnership

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday for his first official two-day visit to India, aimed at strengthening bilateral ties across trade, technology and security. 

Upon landing at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Starmer was welcomed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and Governor Acharya Devvrat.

Focus on India-UK partnership

Starmer’s visit, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will include wide-ranging discussions covering the entire scope of the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership under ‘Vision 2035’, a decade-long roadmap agreed upon earlier this year. 

The two leaders will meet in Mumbai on October 9 to review progress in key areas such as trade and investment, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate and energy, health and education. Both prime ministers are expected to reaffirm their shared commitment to building a forward-looking partnership between the two nations.   

 

Economic cooperation on agenda

A highlight of the visit will be talks on the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a free trade pact signed in July this year. The deal, once ratified by the UK Parliament, is expected to eliminate tariffs on over 90 per cent of goods and boost bilateral trade, which currently stands at $56 billion. 

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and UK Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds signed the agreement in July in the presence of PM Modi and PM Starmer. The pact aims to double bilateral trade by 2030.

 

#WATCH | Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer stands with his business delegation before departing London Heathrow Airport as they head to India to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and promote the recently signed trade deal, in London, Britain.  Source: Pool via REUTERS pic.twitter.com/OtT8PVtRJp

— ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2025

 

Attend Global Fintech Fest

Both leaders will deliver keynote addresses at the 6th Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai, engaging with business leaders, policymakers and innovators. The discussions will centre on the India-UK Technology Security Initiative (TSI), which promotes cooperation in emerging fields like AI, telecoms, biotechnology, quantum computing and critical minerals. 

Starmer is accompanied by a 100-member delegation comprising business leaders, university vice-chancellors and cultural representatives. 

Lord Karan Bilimoria, chair of the International Chamber of Commerce (UK), said he was “absolutely delighted at such a substantial PM delegation after nearly nine years”, adding that it “conveys an unequivocal message that Britain means business when it comes to India”.

Strengthening connectivity, cultural links

British Airways CEO Sean Doyle, part of the delegation, revealed plans to expand flight services to India, calling aviation a “critical enabler of UK-India trade”. The airline currently operates 56 weekly flights connecting five major Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai. 

According to the UK’s Department for Business and Trade, total trade in goods and services between India and the UK stands at around £44.1 billion, a figure expected to grow substantially following the July trade deal.

 

[With agency inputs]